Shooting the New Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard 380

We got to shoot the new Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard 380 at SHOT Show 2014 Media Day at the Range. I uploaded the short video above. Since I have carried a Bodyguard 380 both off duty and as a secondary firearm on duty for the last several years, it was a familiar platform to me. No one I observed had any failure with the M&P 380’s at the range.

In the video, I bobbled the trigger reset after the second shot. As a weak defense, I will just testify that I had been shooting a lot of very different guns that day. It is a good reminder, though, that the Bodyguard 380 has a long, heavy trigger pull–like a revolver. You have to remember to give it a full cycle. I must have been in Glock reset mode when I shot it…

This gun is little different from the original, except for less material at the dustcover. Removing the laser diode, batteries, and supporting polymer does not affect the gun’s balance. Though it looks like the Bodyguard 380 is a bit weightier at the front, the M&P Bodyguard feels the same in the hand and has a similar overall weight.

If deep concealment is your aim, and it probably is if you are carrying a .380 ACP for self defense, the new M&P Bodyguard 380 is just a tiny bit smaller than its predecessor. It looks like you have more holster choices, too, since the M&P Bodyguard should fit in Ruger LCP and Kel-Tec P3AT holsters that are form fitted. My original Bodyguard 380 does not fully seat in some of my Kel-Tec holsters because of its bigger nose.

If you have no use for the integral InSight laser, then the M&P is your model. No batteries to change and no buttons to push. Here is some of the previous material I have written about this gun:

10 Responses to Shooting the New Smith & Wesson M&P Bodyguard 380

Bought this sweet little lead pusher and love it! The trigger travel is a little bit of a pain if you are not used to firing a revolver. Time spent on the range allowed me to hit a 2″ circle pattern at 25 steps. Very dependable gun, had no issues on firing, well balanced in the hand. I believe they have a ten round clip for this one too.

I purchased a BG380 about 4 months ago. I love it! As an old-school former Marine and son of an Army CID – Federal Officer, we both found the weapon to be great for conceal carry purposes. It shoots accurately (far better than my M&P Shield 9M), ejects and recycles crisply. I agree with other readers that the safety is cumbersome and somewhat unnecessary, due to the long trigger pull (minimizing the risk of un intended discharges). I dare say the safety may even pose a potential risk (in a threat situation), due to its poor operational functionality. That may seem to be a somewhat strong statement, but as excellent as the BG380’s overall performance is, the safety mechanism is not. I still highly recommend it as a secondary or conceal carry weapon!

Thanks for the comments, Intruder77! I also do not use the manual safety because it is so small. Fortunately, since it is so small and the detent is positive, it is nearly impossible for it to be engage accidentally.

Just picked up the S&W 380 today and 50 rounds at range had one light fire, reloaded and fired correctly on second attempt, one casing failed to eject and got pinned in the gun, and more than once the slide did not stay back when the magazine was empty. I don’t see these as operator-error but open to suggestions. By comparison, I have a S&W Shield 40 that has never had any similar problems–or any problems whatsoever–with about 500 rounds at the moment.

I have now put hundreds of rounds through the S&W Bodyguard 380 and, while it is working fine (no more problems), the long and heavy trigger pull is unpleasant. I have not gotten used to it, increasingly don’t like it. I love the gun size, ease of concealability, etc., but that trigger pull undermines my accuracy. Giving thought to trying something different.

I like the whole setup of the BG. It serves mostly as a hideout. Stuffed into a vest and hidden away for a very unfortunate day.. as in “The Onion Field”. Its only trip to the range was for familiarization, break-in, and qualification I’ll